Study: Online Gaming Disastrous to Marriage, Beneficial to Others

As the saying goes, “Everything in moderation”. And in cases where hobbies such as playing online games takes a toll on a married couple’s relationship, the same would apply.

Research conducted by the Brigham Young University, published in the Journal of Leisure Research, shows that it’s not really the long hours that affects marital satisfaction, but rather, the effects of excessive gaming. Explains one of the researchers, “It’s not the hours that make a difference. It’s really what it does to the relationship — whether or not it creates conflict and quarreling over the game.”

The study involved surveying 350 married couples where at least one of the spouses played online games. It was found that among 132 out of these couples, only one person was a gamer, and 84 percent of the time it was the husband. For the other 217 couples whose both partners were gamers, again, it was the husband who would played more than the other, 73 percent of the time.

Said recreation management professor Neil Lundberg, Ph.D, “It’s common knowledge that many couples experience challenges around gaming. Particularly when husbands are heavy gamers, it clearly has a negative impact on their marriages.”

Three out of four among the non-gaming spouses said they’d rather their partners pay more attention to their marriage than to their online gaming.

Another negative effect of online gaming on married couples would be arguments offline, especially those involving the disruption of their bedtime routine. Those couples who would not go to bed at the same time reported having less marital satisfaction.